Islam Makhachev Tests Positive for Banned Substance, UFC on Fox 19 Bout Canceled

The UFC on Fox 19 card has taken another hit, as the lightweight bout between Islam Makhachev and Drew Dober has been canceled after Makhachev tested positive for a banned substance.

The UFC released a statement on Friday evening announcing that Makhachev was flagged for a potential anti-doping violation involving Meldonium stemming from an out-of-competition sample collection. Makhachev received a provisional suspension as a result of the test.

According to BloodyElbow.com Meldonium is a medication used to increase bloodflow in patients with heart conditions and has been commonly used by athletes in Eastern Europe and Russia as a supplement. It is not available in the United States and only recently appeared on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of prohibited substances.

"The UFC Anti-Doping Program follows the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List of Substances, which is updated yearly. Meldonium was recently added to the WADA Prohibited List, which went into effect on January 1, 2016,” the UFC’s statement read. “WADA recently announced that they are currently conducting further studies of the substance which may influence how cases involving Meldonium are evaluated. In order to ensure Makhachev receives full and fair due process, USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will consider all relevant information before making any determinations.”

Makhachev vs. Dober was scheduled to kick off the Fox preliminary card at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on Saturday. UFC on Fox 19, which takes place at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., will move forward with 11 bouts, including the light heavyweight headliner between Glover Teixeira and Rashad Evans.

Makhachev suffered his first career loss in 13 professional outings at UFC 192, falling to Adriano Martins via first-round technical knockout. The 24-year-old Dagestani debuted in the Octagon with a second-round submission of Leo Kuntz at UFC 187.

Earlier this week, UFC on Fox 19 lost its co-main event when Lyoto admitted to using a banned substance during an out-of-competition sample collection by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). As a result, his rematch with Dan Henderson was scrapped.